30 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



The above comparison shows that the Southdown cross came 

 out on top with 74*42 per cent, of its lambs fat at the first drafting, 

 while the dead weights averaged 37*1 Ib. per carcase. The 

 Shropshire cross comes next with 68*07 P er cen t. of its lambs 

 fat at first drafting ; but the Border Leicester cross shows a 

 smaller average weight per carcase. The latter breed would, 

 perhaps, take second place for the purpose in view. 



The freezing companies report that : " The Southdown cross 

 lambs are invariably the best freezing carcases, being also excellent 

 in colour and conformation. The English Leicester cross is a 

 good freezing lamb, but it is not of the same bright colour as the 

 Southdown. The Shropshire Down cross is also a good class of 

 freezing lamb, will cut well, but is a shade coarser than the 

 Southdown and does not exhibit the same quality. The Border 

 Leicester cross is a rather coarse type of lamb, heavy carcase of 

 tallowy appearance, and will cut fat." 



In New South Wales a similar experiment to find out the most 

 profitable types of sheep was tried at the Glen Innes experimental 

 farm. Several crosses were tried. The most profitable cross was 

 that of the Lincoln- Merino. The resulting sheep weighed 124 Ib., 

 arid cut 15 Ib. 12 oz. of wool, as against the Dorset-Merino cross, 

 with 136 Ib. weight and 9 Ib. 7 oz. of wool. Border Leicester- 

 Merino cross weighed 129 Ib. with n Ib. 12 oz. of wool. The 

 Down cross was not a success. The manager of the farm would 

 only care to recommend the above crosses for small holdings with 

 artificial or cultivated pastures. 



Several of our well-known export butchers wrote the following 

 article, entitled " A Warning and Advice to Fat Lamb Breeders." 

 It appeared in The Age of November 7, 1911. 



A WARNING AND ADVICE TO FAT-LAMB BREEDERS. 

 To THE EDITOR OF The Age. 



SIR, In the interests of the export lamb trade, and especially towards 

 improving the reputation of and demand for Australian lamb in the English 

 market, and also in the interests of those farmers and pastoralists who regularly 

 go in for breeding and fattening lambs for export, we, as the largest exporters in 



